After a much-needed (?) $30 million makeover, the Metreon, struggling early aughts mall fortress at Fourth and Mission, will open a new set of "reimagined" restaurants and shops on Saturday. Among the reworked ideas: a simpler, cleaner tone to the place; easier entry; and stores that—get this—one can enter without having first to walk through a human maze. Which is to say, many retail stores will now be accessible from Fourth Street. more ›

The luminous folks at Mission Mission have unwittingly sparked an effort to save the eye-catching Discolandia sign on 24th Street. "Not that I ever went in there or anything, but I think we can all agree, whatever happens, the next tenant better not even think about touching the signage," exclaimed editor Allan Hough. "How do we get it on some kind of registry of historic stuff?" more ›

Fresh & Easy, a British chain of grocery stores locally headquartered in El Segundo, plans to open eight stores in the Bay Area by 2011. The recipients are: San Francisco (in Bayview at 3rd Street & Carroll Ave), San Jose (Bird Ave & Minnesota Ave), Danville (Diablo Blvd & Hwy 680), Pacifica (Cabrillo Hwy & Linda Mar Blvd), Vacaville (Elmira Rd & Nut Tree Roadd), Modesto (Oakdale Rd & Lancey Dr), Walnut Creek (Ygnacio Valley Roadd & San Carlos Drive), and Concord (Clayton Rd & Ygnacio Valley Road). more ›

Times are tough. Or so we've been told. So, in this economy it’s ideal to know where to go to get the most omph for your buck, especially if your tastes are a lot bigger than your wallet. For cocktails, obviously, it's happy hour (Bag Lady favors Orson Mon-Sat, and obviously the Castro for two-for-one’s anytime before 9 p.m.) For food it’s dining at home, or out during the week at any restaurant that has a special weekly or monthly price fix dining menus. Currently, Bar Bambino is at the top of the list with a 4-course dinner that will only set you back about $35. And for nightlife, it’s going out during the week when people are generally more unruly and “living life to the fullest.” more ›

Every year at Thanksgiving, you're bound to forget one or two critical items. A shallot, cooking twine, mushrooms, Ketel One -- something will slip your mind and you run the risk of having your Thanksgiving dinner collapse in on itself. And then you've ruined everything. Everything! But who can we prevent such yellow wallpapered hysteria? This is where you come in: do you know of any grocery stores that stay open late on Thanksgiving... more ›